


Ten Years in Black Velvet

by lucretia_the_director



Series: Once More, with Lup [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Balance Campaign, Coping Mechanisms, F/M, Musing, Rated T for language, Umbrella Lup, umbrastaff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 10:30:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11849718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucretia_the_director/pseuds/lucretia_the_director
Summary: Elves live a very long time and, for the most part, a decade passes in the blink of an eye.But when you're trapped in a prison of your own making, completely and totally alone - ten years is ahellof a long time.





	Ten Years in Black Velvet

**_1_ **

This is what remains of Lup Taaco -

  * A skeleton in a cave, just kickin’ it
  * A very old very red robe that would probably fall apart if you touched it
  * An unassuming umbrella clutched in a skeletal hand
  * A tangled mess of mind and magic trapped in a prison lined with black velvet
  * An overwhelming sense that, as a lich, an umbrella that ate magic was _maybe_ not her best idea
  * The knowledge that she would never ever _ever_ admit that to anyone, no matter how long she was stuck in this stupid umbrella



**_2_ **

She had a feeling that, if she didn't vividly remember dying and being sucked, kicking and screaming, into her own umbrella, this velvet-lined pad would seem pretty cozy.

Of course, she did remember, so that was a moot point. She was very well aware that everything here, up to and including her own physical form, was nothing more than a construct of her own mind, subconsciously created in an attempt to keep her sane.

Knowing that she had spent nearly the last decade of her unlife in a metaphysical prison wasn’t exactly the best option, but she could think of worse.

After all, she didn't have to worry about physical limitations anymore - that was always nice. She had unlimited spellslots and the cushiest armchair she’d ever met. Her kitchen was fully stocked and self-replenishing - she could cook and eat all she liked without ever gaining an ounce. She never had to worry about tuning her violin and the same held true for the piano she willed into existence after a few years. Her closet was seemingly bottomless (a prospect that would have excited Taako far more than it ever did her) which helped ward away boredom. She was capable of redecorating with a thought, so the decor never grew stale.

The only thing that she couldn’t manage to change, that she didn't think even could change, didn’t think were capable of change, were the thick, impenetrable black velvet curtains that held her prisoner. 

**_3_ **

It got pretty lonely, being a construct of your own mind. 

She tried, once, to conjure up a copy of her brother, just for the company. 

(It was great until he opened his eyes and smiled at her and he was _wrong_.)

She couldn’t remember the difference in their freckles. She couldn’t remember the way his voice sounded when he said her name or the way he walked or the way he did his eyeliner or what his laugh sounded like or…. 

All she had to do was look in the mirror to see her brother - but it was like she was looking in the wrong mirror and someone who wasn’t quite Taako was looking back.

She couldn’t forget Taako. She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t. She refused.

She had lost so much already, just from being stuck in this prison. So many years. So many opportunities. So many memories. She’d missed her wedding. She’d missed buying a home and settling down with the love of her life. She’d lost the chance to finally be able to live the life she had rightfully earned. Losing her brother, her most important person, wasn’t an option. 

She was never desperate enough for company to try again. (She was never desperate enough for company to see just how much more of her brother she had forgotten.)

**_4_ **

She did find consolation in the fact that, even if she wasn’t there, everyone else got their happy endings. 

Thirty years ago, Lucretia had admitted that all she had ever wanted to do with her life was have a quiet country cottage where she could sit and write all day. Novels, she had whispered, like it was some terrible secret. She finally had the time to do that. (And, honestly? She’d read some of Lucy’s fiction - she’d be a fucking _star_.)

Merle would love having a congregation that he wouldn’t have to leave behind. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see it: a quaint little church full of bustling, cheerful people; a sign out front Church of Pan: Reverend Merle Highchurch; Merle, in front of a crowd, behind a podium, just living the hell out of his life.

Magnus could finally get that dog he always wanted. He could get a thousand dogs and a house with space for them to run and open a goddamn dog sanctuary. (And maybe learn how to carve something other than a duck.)

Cap’enport was harder to figure out. As far as she knew, his life had always been about the mission and he’d already done a bang-up job of realizing that dream. He was good with his hands though, and technology. From what she’d seen, this planet wasn’t the most technologically advanced - maybe he would use what little tech was available and recreate some of the cool stuff from their planet and make a million bucks. (That’d be pretty cool - maybe he could buy her some cool shit when she got out of here….)

Barry…. Barry was still looking for her. (She had to believe that, she _had_ to.) He didn’t have to physically age so no matter how long it took for him to find her they could still have their happy ending. They could still get married, still find that little house with the picket fence, still adopt two point five kids. (Maybe they could get a cat, she could see herself being a cat person.) She just had to wait for him to find her. 

Most of all, though, she hated to miss _Taako’s_ happy ending. After the life they’d led, he _deserved_ a goddamn happy ending. But…. what if he had fallen in love? Who would make sure he was good enough for her brother if she wasn’t there? What if he had adopted some munchkins and she was Aunt Lup the concept, not Aunt Lup the fact?

She’d missed ten years of her happy ending with Barry. She’d missed the chance to be involved in everyone _else’s_ happy endings - homes, careers, weddings, births. That was the worst part of being stuck in this black velvet hellhole. 

**_5_ **

She could hear the sound of echoing footsteps outside of her prison. 

(She didn’t know she could hear what was going on outside of her umbrella; guess it really had been a quiet ten years.)

There were voices, too, muttered conversation, something about treasure, maybe, and - Was that _Taako!?_

She shot to her feet, ignoring the way the room dissolved around her as she screamed his name. (That was fine, she was sure she’d need all the concentration she could muster just to get his attention.)

Footsteps coming closer. It had worked! He’d noticed her and she was sure he’d recognize her umbrella once he’d gotten closer and she was home free! She’d finally get to - 

“Uhh, excuse me, whichever one you are, the d... dwarf, uh, there’s a cane here to look at.”

What the _fuck?_

He kept talking to - was that…. _Merle?_ fuck he sounded weird - but she couldn’t pay attention.

Why the _fuck_ didn’t he recognize her umbrella?

There was a hand on the umbrella and it wasn’t _Taako’s_. Sorry, Merle. Even if they didn’t recognize it, there was no way she was going to let Merle carry her around (and use her like a fucking cane - no siree bob, nuh-uh, not gonna happen).

Drawing on the last reserves of her concentration, she forced a bit of her magic through the weave of the velvet, (don’t hurt him, careful, don’t hurt him) blasting Merle away from her. 

And…. 

That was Taako’s hand, thank the gods. She fell back, exhausted, not even capable of reforming her body. (That was new - she couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually been tired….)

“So, now I have an umbrella.”

“Damn _right_ you have an umbrella,” she muttered before passing out.

**Author's Note:**

> [ Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucretia-the-director)


End file.
